Electrically balanced twin axial cables are widely employed in computer systems for transmitting data back and forth between a host computer and one or more remote terminals. The individual system components are typically interconnected in a daisy chain, star or other known configuration. Popular systems presently featuring balanced data transmission cables include the IBM System 34/36/38 and AS/400 lines.
Conventionally, the balanced data transmission cable is joined to the host or terminal component by a pair of complementary, threaded connector elements that are formed respectively on the system component and one end of the cable. The female connector formed on the computer component includes a pair of slots that accommodate the contacts of the component and a cylindrical, threaded ground conductor that surrounds the slots. The male connector formed at the end of the balanced cable includes a threaded annular collar that is threadably engaged with the ground conductor of the female connector. A pair of balanced conductor pins, attached to the balanced cable, are aligned with the slots in the female connector and received therein when the connector elements are threadably engaged. The male connector also includes a cylindrical ground conductor that engages the inner circumferential surface of the female connector's ground conductor when the male and female connector elements are attached.
The connectors described above exhibit a number of problems. In particular, the balanced data transmission cable is often relatively heavy. Over time, the weight of the cable usually causes it to bend at the connector. Such stress can cause the cable to become loose and detach from the connector pins. As a result, the system is liable to malfunction. Moreover, the threaded male connector found at the end of most balanced data transmission cables is quite bulky. As a result, manipulating and attaching the connector to a computer component can be awkward and time consuming, particularly if the space behind the component is confined or restricted. The conventional balanced transmission cable is also fairly expensive to produce. The connector formed at the end of the cable requires that the threaded collar be manufactured and then assembled with the ground conductor and balanced conductor pins. All of these elements must then be joined permanently at the end of the balanced conductor cable.
Installation is further complicated because the cable does no negotiate bends behind walls or ceilings well. The large size of the male connector requires the electrician to run the cable first and then install the connector.